------------------ Level 9 Fact Sheet V1.1 -- 1999/JAN/25 ------------------ Copyright (c) 1998, 1999 Miron Schmidt and Manuel Schulz . This file attempts to list all relevant information about the British company Level 9 and their published games. The most recent release can always be found at the IF-Archive on ftp.gmd.de as ftp://ftp.gmd.de/if-archive/level9/info/Level9_Facts.txt This first public release contains some information that was submitted to us and which we couldn't confirm. So please contact us with any different experiences you might have. List of contents: 1 Overview 2 Distribution and Packaging Details 3 ClueSheets 4 Game File Versions 5 Trivia 6 Chronology A Appendix A.1 Non-Level9 Games A.2 The Level9 Authors A.3 Interpreters and Tools A.4 Lenslok FAQ T Special Thanks I History of This Fact Sheet 1 Overview ------------ a) The company Level 9 published 20 games, and were in one way or the other connected to a number of other games. This extraordinary feat makes them the second largest text adventure company right after Infocom, blatantly ignoring Sierra On-Line (whose early and middle-period games did have text parsers after all, but counting the 3D-animated adventures as text adventures would be pushing the definition). They were founded in 1981 by Pete, Mike, and Nick Austin: Mike was a fan of Advent (aka Colossal Cave) and was disappointed that there was no port for the British micro computers, so he simply wrote his own -- and that's how it began, concerning text adventures. Before that, they had already published software for 8bit computers, such as Extension Basic, and a couple of arcade games for the Nascom. The decision to publish the games mainly on tape and to port them to many platforms made them the leading adventure company in England. Furthermore, their games featured a decent parser with a dictionary of sometimes 1000 words and more, making them the most advanced adventure games ever available on tape. Needless to say, this added to their success: Scapeghost, their last and least-successful game, still sold about 15,000 copies. The commercial decline of the text adventure genre finally forced them to close down in June 1991, after they had desperately tried to stay in business by selling their programming efforts to other companies. For instance, they ported Cinemaware's Amiga game It Came from the Desert to the PC. b) A-Code Level 9 used their own interpretation language, A-code, which was more memory efficient even than plain Z80 assembler. It was developed around 1979, long before the first L9 game appeared, as the Colossal Cave port was intended to fit into 8 KB. A-code underwent a couple of revisions: there are three distinct versions in all, plus a couple of extensions which form new A-code versions of their own. The A-code data files were usually incorporated into the executable file for specific machines, together with the interpreter part. Still, even those executables were significantly shorter than pure assembly code files would have been! This efficiency was partially due to advanced text compression routines that reduced the memory need for texts to about 50% of their true length. Infocom's text compression, in comparison, only reduced text strings to about 67% of their real length (abbreviation alphabets notwithstanding: see elsewhere for details). A strength of the A-code system -- and at the same time one of its greatest weaknesses -- is a system of script variables, of which there are a fixed number: generally more in higher A-code versions. For the later three-part games, Knight Orc, Scapeghost, and the Ingrid series, the script variable system was extended by an NPC movement and action system which was internally called KAOS. The framework of this new system was originally developed by John Jones-Steele who had gained first experiences at Melbourne House. KAOS was able to make NPCs appear "intelligent": they move independently of the player's commands, pick up things, utilise weapons, etc., following so-called "racetracks," which could be quite complex (as Knight Orc demonstrates impressively). The name "KAOS" is a mangled acronym of "Knight Orc Adventure System." Finally, an animation control system named HUGE (The (w)Holy Universal Game Engine) was added, which was actually a new system on its own, but derived from A-code. HUGE drivers existed for the Amiga and Atari ST only. It was never used for issued Level 9 games, but e.g. their conversion of It Came from the Desert was programmed using HUGE. c) The adventure games The Middle Earth Trilogy The next three games first formed the Middle Earth Trilogy, but were later repackaged in a single box as the Jewels of Darkness Trilogy. - Colossal Adventure Their first game, and the reason to start Level 9 as a commercial company. Colossal Adventure is a modified version of ADVENT, the very first adventure game. The modifications are mostly an enlarged master game, and a more detailed outside world. Written by Mike, Nick and Pete Austin. Based on ADVENT, written by Will Crowther and Donald Woods. First published: 1983 - Adventure Quest The first adventure game of their own design. Mainly a collection of puzzles which don't always make sense in the context. Written by Mike, Nick and Pete Austin. First published: 1983 - Dungeon Adventure A strange dungeon-crawl and treasure-hunt adventure. It introduces a magic system that was in part derived from the one introduced in the role-playing game D&D. Written by Mike, Nick and Pete Austin. First published: 1984 The Silicon Dreams Trilogy These games center around Kim Kimberley, the legendary secret agent and space navigator. In early advertisements, the trilogy was called the "Silicon Dream" trilogy: without the "s". - Snowball The spaceship Snowball 9 has to be safely landed on the planet of Eden. More than 7000 rooms, 6800-odd of which form a tricky maze on board the ship. Written by Mike, Nick and Pete Austin. Additional expertise: Ian Buxton. First published: 1983 - Return to Eden After approaching Eden, you have to escape to the city of Enoch before certain imprisonment due to false accusations. Written by Nick Austin and Chris Queen. Pictures by Tim Noyce. First published: October 1984 - Worm in Paradise Yet a couple of years later, Kim Kimberley has become a legend on Eden. The player sets out to uncover the government's dark secrets. This game features lots of political statements. Written by Mike, Nick and Pete Austin. Pictures by James Horsler. (Delayed by: Adrian Mole.) First published: December 1985 The Time and Magik Trilogy Not originally planned as a trilogy, these three games center around "magik" and magical events. - Lords of Time Time-travelling through the distant past, you collect a number of items to defeat the evil Lords of Time. The first Level 9 game not designed by the Austins. It was initially to be published as "Timelords." Written by Sue Gazzard. Additional expertise: Ian Buxton. First published: 1983 - Red Moon The Red Moon crystal has to be retrieved. Written by David Williamson (design), Simon Aspinall (implementation), Pete Austin (design and implementation). Pictures: James Horsler. First published: July 1985 - The Price of Magik Written by Pete Austin (design), Nick & Mike Austin (implementation), David Williamson (original idea). Pictures by James Horsler. First published: May 1986 The Gnome Ranger series The third game in this series was already written and designed, but never got finished. - Gnome Ranger Ingrid the Gnome and her diverse adventures. This game consists of three parts, each a game file on its own. Written by Pete Austin. Gnomish by Peter McBride. First published: 1987 - Gnome Ranger II: Ingrid's Back Ingrid's further adventures. Again, the game comes in three distinct parts. Written by Pete Austin (game design) and Graham Jones (game programming and text). Game text polishing: Peter McBride. Graphics by Dicon Peeke. Additional programming by Mike Austin, Nick Austin, John Jones-Steele and Mike Bryant. First published: 1988 The Adrian Mole series These games were based on the children's books by Sue Townsend. - The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 No text parser, but a series of multiple-choice questions. Divided into four parts, each a game file on its own. Written by ... First published: 1985 - The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole Like the first Adrian Mole game, this one is based on the book of the same name, features multiple-choice questions rather than a text parser, and is divided into four distinct parts. Written by Pete Austin. Pictures by Joan Lamb. First published: 1987 Individual games - Emerald Isle Stranded on an island, the protagonist finds a lost civilisation. This game was at some point meant to be the first game in the same trilogy as Red Moon and The Price of Magic. Written by Shaun D. Abbott (design). Pictures by James Horsler. First published: 1984 - The Saga of Erik the Viking Based on Terry Jones' book of the same name (later filmed by Terry Gilliam with Tim Robbins as Erik). Written by ... First published: 1984 - The Archers Based on the British soap opera of the same name. The dialog was supposedly written by the series' real authors. No text parser, but a sequence of multiple-choice questions. Written by Pete Austin. Pictures by Joan Lamb. First published: 1986 - Knight Orc As Grindleguts the Orc, the player has to solve many adventures. Like the Gnome Ranger games, the game consists of three distinct parts. In the third part, the player is in for a surprise. Written by Pete Austin. First published: 1987 - Lancelot The player assumes the role of Lancelot, the noble knight, replaying his adventures of chivalry, love, and the Holy Grail. Three parts, like the Gnome Ranger games. Story and final game text: Christina Erskin. Pictures by Joan Lamb, Neil Scrimgeour, Dicken Peeke, Nusarath Jahan. Systems: Mike and Nick Austin, John Jones-Steele, Mike Bryant. First published: 1988 - Scapeghost A dead detective returns to the world of the living to solve his final case. Like the last few games, Scapeghost comes in three distinct parts. It was originally announced as "Spook." Written by Pete Austin, Sandra Sharkey and Pete Gerrard. First published: 1989 d) Non-Interactive-Fiction Software - Extension Basic Level 9's first ever program. - Missile Defence - Champion of the Raj A colonial India strategy game. Written mainly for a commercial burst, this was the only non-adventure game Level 9 published in their later period. e) Games for other companies - It Came from the Desert PC port only. The original was the Amiga version by Cinemaware. 2 Distribution and Packaging Details -------------------------------------- All dimensions are given in millimeters. a) "Ziploc Bag" releases The first five games were initially released in simple transparent Ziploc bags. Each contains a 12-page manual, a game tape, and a Hint-request card plus an envelope to mail it. The early Hint-request cards allowed the player to pose three questions of their choice which were then laboriously answered individually by the Austins. (1) Colossal Adventure (2) Adventure Quest (3) Dungeon Adventure (4) Snowball (5) Lords of Time b) "Cardboard Box" releases In late 1983, the same five games were re-packaged in 224 x 146 x 19 cardboard boxes. The boxes have a small hole below the upper edge to allow retailers to hang them on display hooks. The contents are the same as in the "Ziploc Bag" releases: the 12-page manual, a game tape, and the early Hint-request card plus envelope. (1) Colossal Adventure (2) Adventure Quest (3) Dungeon Adventure (4) Snowball (5) Lords of Time c) "Wallet" releases In 1984, the packaging went through another revision: the games were issued in 215 x 160 x 15 soft plastic wallets. Each package contains a 420 x 300 poster with detailed instructions on the flip side, a 420 x 300 advertisement poster, an early Hint-request card, a 144 x 205 system-specific reference sheet (with loading/saving instructions), and a game tape; all the contents are slipped in a pocket on the wallet's inside. The wallets have a clear plastic cover in which an inlay is slipped for each game. (Possibly, the Wallets' contents were changed shortly before the release of the MK II packages. In this case, the contents given here would refer to the later packaging: but we have no confirmed details available.) (1) Colossal Adventure (2) Adventure Quest (3) Dungeon Adventure (4) Snowball (5) Lords of Time (6) Return to Eden (7) Emerald Isle d) "MK II" releases The expensive large wallets were dropped by 1985 in favour of smaller, 130 x 86 x 18 "Microcase MK II" boxes. The inlay is slipped into the box' cover; each bears the game cover on the front side, and instructions on the insides, which are folded away. The unfolded dimensions of the inlay are 180 x 487. In addition, the package contains but a mere game tape. (1) Colossal Adventure (2) Adventure Quest (3) Dungeon Adventure (4) Snowball (5) Lords of Time (6) Return to Eden (7) Emerald Isle (8) Red Moon (9) The Worm in Paradise Contents: See header. (13) The Price of Magik Same contents as above. Additionally, The Price of Magik contains a Lenslok device. e) "Virgin" and "Mosaic" releases The Archers and Erik the Viking were developed for, and released by Mosaic; the Adrian Mole games were similarly published by Virgin Games. (10) The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 Comes in an MK II box such as described above. The inlay contains a brief instruction sheet. Additionally to the tape, the box contains a Hint Request Sheet. (11) The Archers Comes in a black, 132 x 90 x 18 plastic tape box in the cover of which an inlay is slipped. The inlay (181 x 294) has instructions and notes on the main characters of the game printed on the back. Apart from that, the box contains only the game tape. (12) The Saga of Erik the Viking The black, 220 x 140 x 29 plastic box (similar to a video tape box) contains an instruction booklet (which also features extract of the Terry Jones book), and a game tape. The cover is slipped into the box' front. (17) The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole Packed in a 140 x 108 x 17 clear plastic box for two tapes, this game contains a folded instruction sheet and one game tape. f) "Rainbird" releases Two of the trilogies and Knight Orc were published by British Telecommunications, Inc. In the UK (and Europe), these went under the Rainbird label. The Rainbird games come in blue two-part, 215 x 153 x 27 cardboard boxes which are printed with the game cover and a bar-code for retailing. In addition to the detailed contents below, each game contained three game tapes or one game disk, and a new Hint request sheet to request the ClueSheet for the respective game. (14) Jewels of Darkness Trilogy Contains: - 150 x 210, 68-page booklet with loading instructions, a game play guide, and Peter McBride's novella "The Darkness Rises" - Lenslok and Lenslok instruction sheet, OR notice about absence of Lenslok - translation of the instructions (German release) (15) Silicon Dreams Trilogy Contains: - 150 x 210, 68-page booklet with loading instructions, a game play guide, and Peter McBride's novella "Eden Song" (16) Knight Orc The box of the German release of this game has "Deutsche Version" printed on the box in red letters. Contains: - 150 x 210, 52-page booklet with loading instructions, a game play guide, and Peter McBride's novella "The Sign of the Orc", OR 150 x 210, 78-page booklet with loading instructions, a game play guide, and the AGC Hamburg translation of Peter McBride's novella "Im Zeichen des Ork" - 4-color map (410 x 294) by P.R. Human g) "Firebird" releases In the US, the British Telecommunications releases went under the Firebird label. Those games come in 227 x 163 x 30 black, video tape box-like plastic boxes with a clear cover in which an inlay is slipped. The contents are the same, with additional registration and warranty cards thrown in. (14) Jewels of Darkness Trilogy Contains: - 150 x 210, 68-page booklet with loading instructions, a game play guide, and Peter McBride's novella "The Darkness Rises" - Lenslok and Lenslok instruction sheet, OR notice about absence of Lenslok (15) Silicon Dreams Trilogy Contains: - 150 x 210, 68-page booklet with loading instructions, a game play guide, and Peter McBride's novella "Eden Song" (16) Knight Orc Contains: - 150 x 210, 52-page booklet with loading instructions, a game play guide, and Peter McBride's novella "The Sign of the Orc" - 4-color map (410 x 294) by P.R. Human h) "Mandarin" releases These games were developed by Level 9, and distributed originally by Mandarin Software. Later, DataSoft distributed the games in different packages in the US. (19) Time and Magik Trilogy Datasoft: A two-part, 227 x 150 x 28 cardboard box with a printed cover, containing: - game disk - 26-page instruction booklet with brief system-specific details, plus Peter McBride's short story "Time and Magik" - 40-page clue book including maps and numbered hints much like the Clue Sheets for other games (20) Lancelot Mandarin: The two-part cardboard box (213 x 152 x 27) has a printed cover and contains: - game disk or tape - 44-page booklet with instructions (general and loading) and the novella "King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table" - 282 x 196 map of England - "Holy Grail Contest" sheet i) "Late" releases (18) Gnome Ranger Comes in a clear tape box (even the disk releases) with slightly varying dimensions. Contains: - 4-color, 130 x 219 inlay with instructions and system instructions - Ziploc bag, containing game disk or tape, and a booklet, 190 x 108, 52 pages, called "The Gnettlefield Journal" (21) Ingrid's Back: Gnome Ranger II The 215 x 152 x 25 cardboard slipcase with printed cover contains a 211 x 148 x 21 tray (also printed with the cover motive), which in turn contains: - The game media - 4-color poster (278 x 199) with advertisements for the then-available L9 games - Clue Request Card - 44-page booklet (with detailed instructions, an "Official Secrets" ad, and "The Second Gnettlefield Journal," written as usual by Peter McBride) inside a Ziploc bag. (22) Scapeghost Black plastic, 185 x 150 x 25 multi-casing-box with game disk or tapes. Further contents: - 4-color poster (270 x 350) with instructions and general loading instructions - Clue sheet order form - 4-color poster (230 x 153) with an advertisement for several adventure games 3 Clue Sheets --------------- The games didn't come with clues other than those hidden in the documentation, but Level 9 offered to send hints for a self-addressed, stamped envelope. In the early years, buyers were allowed to ask a certain number of questions which were personally answered by the Austins. Later, time didn't permit this anymore, as the volume of hint requests increased steadily. Therefore, the general hint request form was replaced by a request form for so-called Clue Sheets, which gave answers to all the puzzles and listed locations and items. Electronic versions of these Clue Sheets are available at ftp.gmd.de, in the /level9/clue-sheets/ folder. 4 Version Information ----------------------- The A-code game files are all that is needed if you have a suitable interpreter at hand (see section A.3) -- though game files were regularly linked to the machine-dependent interpreter. It is possible, however, to "cut down" game files to their minimum length: those lengths, and further information used for testing or by interpreters, are given below. All game file versions are given in the following form: length, A-Code version, checksum (2 bytes in hexadecimal), CRC16 checksum (4 bytes in hexadecimal: never used by interpreters, but more useful for identifying game file versions than the 2-byte checksum), publishing information for this version. Abbreviations used: JoD -- Jewels of Darkness Trilogy SD -- Silicon Dreams Trilogy T&M -- Time and Magik Trilogy TO -- Text-only version Game files prepended with an asterisk are those we haven't actually seen: please contact us if you have one of these. Finally, game files marked "game-data only" are not playable with an interpreter: they lack a similar file of A-Code instructions, the format of which has not been entirely decoded as of yet. Adrian Mole I, pt. 1 14897 3 e5 0bdb BBC 33587 3 b7 e2ac C-64 31855 3 0f ba24 CPC 29434 3 8b 6f12 Speccy Adrian Mole I, pt. 2 14321 3 77 d231 BBC 33869 3 50 5353 C-64 29582 3 5b 7e3d Speccy Adrian Mole I, pt. 3 14592 3 1c 5d9a BBC 33361 3 5f 862a C-64 29557 3 e5 3f3e Speccy Adrian Mole I, pt. 4 14608 3 ac 07f9 BBC 31352 3 5e 6ea3 C-64 30933 3 e3 cd7d Speccy Adrian Mole I, pt. 5 15062 3 a7 95d2 BBC Adrian Mole I, pt. 6 14501 3 0f defc BBC Adrian Mole I, pt. 7 13854 3 7e fd9f BBC Adrian Mole I, pt. 8 14644 3 75 e141 BBC Adrian Mole I, pt. 9 13585 3 cc d829 BBC Adrian Mole I, pt. 10 14557 3 31 2534 BBC Adrian Mole I, pt. 11 14784 3 44 89df BBC Adrian Mole I, pt. 12 14866 3 8f c2bd BBC Adrian Mole II, pt. 1 * 22842 3 00 0 BBC 31025 3 b9 c51b CPC/C-64 26689 3 4a 94e7 Speccy Adrian Mole II, pt. 2 * 22502 3 00 0 BBC 31967 3 a5 43e3 CPC/C-64 27584 3 62 ab3d Speccy Adrian Mole II, pt. 3 * 22553 3 00 0 BBC 31244 3 97 4bea CPC/C-64 26924 3 21 2015 Speccy Adrian Mole II, pt. 4 * 22427 3 00 0 BBC 30851 3 e2 ee0e CPC/C-64 26378 3 94 a2a6 Speccy Adventure Quest 28256 3 83 18e0 Amiga/PC JoD * 23384 3 00 0000 Atari JoD 25526 3 2e ef38 C-64 JoD 26984 3 32 0c01 CPC JoD 26992 3 d6 a820 Speccy128 JoD 23246 3 11 f118 Speccy48 *patched* JoD 23246 3 11 dc12 Speccy48 JoD 28252 3 f6 d356 ST JoD The Archers, pt. 1 22580 3 42 cc9d BBC 30301 3 cd fc02 C-64 * 27877 3 00 0 Speccy The Archers, pt. 2 * 0 3 00 0 BBC 28248 3 07 bffc C-64 * 26842 3 00 0 Speccy The Archers, pt. 3 * 0 3 00 0 BBC 32408 3 6a 95e5 C-64 27751 3 9a 9a6a Speccy The Archers, pt. 4 * 0 3 00 0 BBC 33250 3 d5 b278 C-64 * 0 3 00 0 Speccy Champion of the Raj, pt. 1 18502 4 00 d9c1 ST German Champion of the Raj, pt. 2 4597 4 00 7aa4 ST German Colossal Adventure 30452 3 5e 1fe5 Amiga/PC JoD 23318 3 3b e2aa Atari JoD 27790 3 b6 9be3 C-64 JoD 28493 3 cb e8f2 CPC JoD 28526 3 78 28cd Speccy128 JoD 23182 3 f2 2c96 Speccy48 *patched* JoD 23182 3 f2 7cca Speccy48 JoD 30452 3 5a cf4b ST JoD Dungeon Adventure 25358 2 8d 7d7d CPC 22842 3 80 7a34 Atari JoD 27602 3 65 a41f C-64 JoD 28096 3 63 5d95 CPC JoD 28136 3 4c d795 Speccy128 JoD 22691 3 38 a1ee Speccy48 *patched* JoD 22691 3 38 8ce4 Speccy48 JoD 28428 3 95 1f64 ST/Amiga/PC JoD Emerald Isle 25534 2 d6 cf5d Atari/C-64/Speccy/CPC Erik the Viking 13491 2 20 ccda C-64 13491 2 c7 9058 CPC 13491 2 53 8f00 Speccy Gnome Ranger, pt. 1 44353 4 a8 42c5 C-64 TO 45481 4 80 5fb7 ST/Amiga 24560 5 f8 3a13 CPC (game-data only) 21162 5 df 7b5b Speccy128 (game-data only) Gnome Ranger, pt. 2 42805 4 f7 2e08 C-64 TO 43933 4 31 be6d ST/Amiga 24612 5 01 aaa9 CPC (game-data only) 28666 5 db dde2 Speccy128 (game-data only) Gnome Ranger, pt. 3 43456 4 9e 0d70 C-64 TO 44584 4 87 b6b6 ST/Amiga 24630 5 3d 6c6c CPC (game-data only) 29242 5 69 039b Speccy128 (game-data only) Ingrid's Back, pt. 1 53640 4 13 dc60 Amiga 37001 4 44 eff4 C-64 *patched* 46960 4 03 9a03 C-64 TO 37001 4 ce c5e2 C-64 53659 4 ad 306d PC 35511 4 68 ee57 Speccy48 53635 4 83 ef72 ST 23096 5 f7 876e CPC (game-data only) 30368 5 3a b803 Speccy128 (game-data only) Ingrid's Back, pt. 2 50580 4 03 ea95 Amiga 37005 4 f6 2a11 C-64 *patched* 46913 4 b6 2aa5 C-64 TO 37005 4 80 30c7 C-64 50597 4 fe 3c98 PC 35614 4 84 2538 Speccy48 50575 4 65 f337 ST 21274 5 ed cf3f CPC (game-data only) 30324 5 0b e92f Speccy128 (game-data only) Ingrid's Back, pt. 3 55199 4 b5 1661 Amiga 37022 4 15 f4da C-64 *patched* 46993 4 a1 d065 C-64 TO 37022 4 9f decc C-64 55214 4 9e 1878 PC 35612 4 a8 9262 Speccy48 55194 4 57 49c5 ST 22500 5 19 b354 CPC (game-data only) 30302 5 ba 086d Speccy128 (game-data only) Knight Orc, pt. 1 48019 4 36 6a05 Amiga 35184 4 e2 b6f3 C-64 *patched* 35184 4 6b 3c7b C-64 47982 4 a6 9753 PC 34512 4 b7 adbd Speccy48 47982 4 ad 4d40 ST 29920 5 92 885e Speccy128 (game-data only) Knight Orc, pt. 2 35728 4 4e 098c C-64 50574 4 43 e9ce PC 34949 4 22 e293 Speccy48 50574 4 4a 4e9d ST/Amiga 28092 5 97 6f55 Speccy128 (game-data only) Knight Orc, pt. 3 35562 4 4e ca54 C-64 52122 4 08 6c36 PC 34789 4 0e dc33 Speccy48 52122 4 0f 0804 ST/Amiga 29698 5 07 385f Speccy128 (game-data only) Lancelot, pt. 1 48036 4 94 0871 Amiga/PC *USA* 36843 4 ba a800 C-64 35550 4 f2 fffb Speccy48 49359 4 4e b7fa ST/Amiga/PC 20434 5 9d 799a BBC (game-data only) 30348 5 e8 8fc6 Speccy128 (game-data only) Lancelot, pt. 2 53440 4 56 8c48 Amiga/PC *USA* 36715 4 fa 0f7e C-64 35598 4 fb 0bab Speccy48 54761 4 6a 4192 ST/Amiga/PC 19884 5 a8 86ed BBC (game-data only) 30384 5 1d 0fcd Speccy128 (game-data only) Lancelot, pt. 3 46764 4 c6 aea0 Amiga/PC *USA* 36721 4 2f 0ddc C-64 35507 4 c1 cb62 Speccy48 48015 4 1a 7487 ST/Amiga/PC 20374 5 22 30f8 BBC (game-data only) 30302 5 4f 3b73 Speccy128 (game-data only) Lords of Time 24249 2 30 e99a CPC 24249 2 6e c689 Speccy 45655 4 f8 fbd5 Amiga *USA* T&M 46454 4 2a 7239 Amiga T&M 36216 4 3a ba6e C-64 *USA* T&M 45664 4 e5 c5b2 PC *USA* T&M 46460 4 44 7779 PC T&M 35152 4 a1 1ea2 Speccy48 *patched* T&M 35152 4 a1 bb16 Speccy48 T&M 27134 5 56 ecfb CPC T&M (game-data only) 28446 5 da 2ce0 Speccy128 T&M (game-data only) Price of Magik 28614 3 14 f9b6 C-64 23204 3 c1 bbf4 CPC 29712 3 5e 60be Speccy128 23204 3 c1 10a0 Speccy48 *corrupt* 23204 3 c1 8a65 Speccy48 *patched* 23204 3 c1 eda4 Speccy48 46999 4 1f 84a9 Amiga *USA* T&M 47818 4 3a 221b Amiga T&M 35910 4 f0 caf6 C-64 *USA* T&M 47008 4 7e 2226 PC *USA* T&M 47815 4 7f ddb2 PC T&M * 0 4 0 0 Speccy48 T&M 23120 5 a9 a5fa CPC T&M (game-data only) 24840 5 dd efe7 Speccy128 T&M (game-data only) Red Moon 20588 2 f0 ba72 BBC/CPC/C-64 20573 2 32 2dcf Speccy 41880 4 82 d031 Amiga *USA* T&M 42642 4 d1 6a99 Amiga T&M 36182 4 d3 146a C-64 *USA* T&M 41892 4 df 6732 PC *USA* T&M 42654 4 6c b268 PC T&M 34835 4 11 d0cd Speccy48 *patched* T&M 34835 4 11 22de Speccy48 T&M 26760 5 8d 7f6a CPC T&M (game-data only) 28064 5 b8 3802 Speccy128 T&M (game-data only) Return to Eden 24676 2 bd 73ec Atari 24676 2 01 5b3c BBC 24676 2 da e610 C-64 23713 2 33 1c43 Speccy/a 23735 2 64 0790 Speccy/b 24823 3 68 c2bc Atari SD 30511 3 ca 8602 C-64 SD 31999 3 f8 6044 CPC SD 32020 3 e8 fbab PC SD 31829 3 18 daee Speccy128 SD 24387 3 ca 6e1b Speccy48 *patched* SD 24387 3 ca 828c Speccy48 SD 32022 3 e6 5438 ST/Amiga SD Scapeghost, pt. 1 49458 4 14 7adc Amiga *bak* 48811 4 2d 94d9 Amiga 48788 4 cc 04b8 ST/PC 23740 5 a5 0dbe CPC (game-data only) 30254 5 82 8848 Speccy128 (game-data only) Scapeghost, pt. 2 39357 4 65 032e ST/Amiga/PC 22834 5 4e b2b5 CPC (game-data only) 23510 5 35 79ef Speccy128 (game-data only) Scapeghost, pt. 3 48310 4 7a 7d4f ST/Amiga/PC 22624 5 95 3227 CPC (game-data only) 28584 5 a4 62c2 Speccy128 (game-data only) Snowball 24491 2 5c a309 CPC 27640 3 3f c9f7 Atari SD 29539 3 65 a0ab C-64 SD 31535 3 70 6f6c CPC SD 31535 3 70 6955 PC/Speccy128 SD 25921 3 02 028a Speccy48 *patched* SD 25921 3 02 2e6c Speccy48 SD 31537 3 6e 2e2b ST/Amiga SD Worm in Paradise 28036 3 f9 0 C-64 30507 3 cd a503 Speccy128 21612 3 b7 9420 Speccy48 24929 3 f3 e6d7 Atari SD 30861 3 72 888a C-64 SD 31959 3 0e 4feb PC/CPC/Speccy128 SD 24251 3 f1 cc1a Speccy48 *patched* SD 24251 3 f1 4dec Speccy48 SD 31961 3 0c 4df1 ST/Amiga SD 5 Trivia ---------- * A themed attraction based on a UK television series named Crystal Maze (in Blackpool, UK and near Tokyo, Japan) was driven using HUGE. This was an action course where the players had to perform certain exercises which were then concluded by pushing buttons or pulling levers. Which actions to perform and confirmation of the correct actions was controlled by the HUGE system. * Margaret Austin worked for the company for a few years, handling some of the marketing aspects. Therefore, two "M. Austin"s appeared on some personal replies. * As mentioned above, "KAOS" is a mangled acronym of "Knight Orc Adventure System." The reason for this was that "KAOS" simply sounds a lot more cool than "KOAS." 6 Chronology -------------- 1979 A-Code devised. 1981 Level 9 founded by Mike, Nick and Pete Austin. Early non-adventure releases: (a) Extension Basic 1983 Ziploc bag releases: (1) Colossal Adventure (2) Adventure Quest (3) Dungeon Adventure (4) Snowball (5) Lords of Time Packaging update: (1)-(5) re-packaged in cardboard boxes (224x146x19). 1984 Packaging update: (1)-(5) re-packaged in plastic wallets (215x160x15). Oct (6) Return to Eden 1985 (7) Emerald Isle Packaging update: (1)-(7) re-packaged in smaller plastic wallets (130x86x18). Jul (8) Red Moon (9) The Worm in Paradise (10) The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 (for Virgin) (11) The Archers (for Mosaic) (12) The Saga of Erik the Viking 1986 Lenslok introduced. (13) The Price of Magik (14) Jewels of Darkness Trilogy (for BT) Lenslok excluded again. (15) Silicon Dreams Trilogy (for BT) 1987 KAOS devised. Jul (16) Knight Orc (for BT) Level 9 no longer use any standard packaging format. (17) The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole (for Virgin) Sep (18) Gnome Ranger 1988 (19) Time and Magik Trilogy (for Mandarin) (20) Lancelot (for Mandarin) (21) Ingrid's Back (for Mandarin) 1989 (22) Scapeghost H.U.G.E. devised. 1991 Champion of the Raj It Came from the Desert (PC port for Cinemaware) Level 9 decide to quit writing games. The individual brothers go on working for software developers. A Appendix ------------ A.1 Appendix 1: Non-Level 9 Games ----------------------------------- - It Came from the Desert A.2 Appendix 2: The Level 9 Authors ------------------------------------- Shaun D. Abbott Simon Aspinall Mike Austin Nick Austin Pete Austin Christina Erskin Sue Gazzard Pete Gerrard Peter McBride Chris Queen Sandra Sharkey David Williamson A.3 Appendix 3: Interpreters and Tools ---------------------------------------- a) Level 9 The interpreter "Level 9" was written by Glen Summers . The current version 2.0 is capable of playing all V2-V4 games. Ports exist for the Amiga and the PC (both done by the ever-present David Kinder). The latest version for all supported systems can be found in the /level9/interpreters/level9 directory at ftp.gmd.de. b) L9Cut L9Cut is a tool that "cuts" a pure A-code game file from an executable. It recognises versions 2-4 and works mostly automatically -- but there is an option to even cut game files it doesn't actually recognise. Note that L9Cut appends two zeros (0x0000) to any game file for identification reasons. It was written by Paul David Doherty . The latest version (portable C source code plus PC executable) can be found on Paul's web page at http://www2.rz.hu-berlin.de/inside/angl/people/pdd/advent.html c) L9Dis A "raw" A-Code disassembler: dictionary entries and messages are printed in a formatted form, but the actual code is simply printed one instruction at a time. Written by Paul David Doherty , L9Dis is currently in beta stage. A.4 Appendix 4: Lenslok FAQ ----------------------------- a) What is Lenslok? Lenslok was a copy-protection system. Games with Lenslok protection were shipped with a little plastic device with a slit lens, which was placed on the computer screen, enabling the user to read otherwise unitelligible lines and dots as genuine letters. The Lenslok had to be "calibrated" each time in a painstaking process that included positioning the device in a slightly non-orthagonal way against the screen. b) Who developed it? The Lenslok device was invented (and patented in the US) by ASAP Developments Ltd. c) From when to when was it used? From 1985 to 1986. d) Who used it? It was included in the original release of Elite for the Spectrum, OCP Art Studio, Tomahawk, and Starglider, among other games. -- Notably, of course, the mentioned Level 9 adventures. e) Why didn't it work for longer? The characters were rather difficult to identify: if you don't place the Lenslok on your screen *exactly* as prompted, the lines appear blurry and colour-shifted. On some tv screens, it was virtually impossible to read the text at all. Growing unrest among the players -- who had, after all, paid good money for the games -- resulted in companies gradually dropping this form of copy-protection. T Special Thanks ------------------ Paul David Doherty has provided us with the basic framework of this file, and with lots of valuable information, most notably facts from his conversations with the Austin brothers, and game file listings. Also, Paul maintains the version database. Peter Schoen never hesitated to send us new packages, data files, or secrets about his own collection. Much of the publishing information was initially taken from Hans Persson's (mildly unreliable) Adventure Game History at http://www.lysator.liu.se/adventure/ Hans' email address is Many thanks to Richard Hewison, whose "Level 9 -- Past Masters of the Adventure Game?" proved to be a very useful source of never-before unearthed early company details. The Museum of Computer and Video Games in Berlin (Rungestr. 20, 10179 Berlin) has offered some moral support. Graham Nelson unfolded some precious memories about the Middle Earth Trilogy. The packaging details for Erik the Viking were submitted by Christian Lemke. Contributors of new game files: David Gorst. Eagle-eyes (finders of typos or wrong "facts"): Brendon J. Wyber. Last but certainly not least, Pete Austin himself has helped to verify the more doubtful details. Nevertheless (standard disclaimer), all inaccurate information is entirely our own fault and might have arised from a) sloppiness, b) typos (Miron's, most probably), or c) sneaking in unverified tidbits. I History of This Fact Sheet ------------------------------ V0.1 (970918) - First rudimentary version, typed in by Manuel from info we had established in our first two meetings. V1.0 (981227) - Last (very refreshing) meeting before final publication: filled in the final details, corrected some typos, added information about Erik, Lords of Time, and packaging types. Uncapitalised the "G" in "Scapeghost." Renamed "Other" releases to "Late" again; added info about Time and Magik; added comment about possible early and late "Wallet" versions. --Mi & Ma. PUBLIC RELEASE. V1.0.1 (981228) - Corrected two small typos. --Mi. V1.0.2 (990103) - Corrected URL (Volker apparently moved it to .../info/...). Added thanks item for Brendon Wyber. Added PDD's maintaining of the version database to thanks list. Slight rewording of one paragraph. V1.0.3 (990112) - Changed a non-ASCII character for its ASCII equivalent (thanks to PDD for the somewhat cryptic report). V1.1 (990125) - Added David Gorst to thanks list. Rephrased sentence in L9Cut description. Preliminarily took out sentence about ME Trilogy and Tolkien: check later. Now uses PDD's database 022 (instead of 016). --Mi. PUBLIC RELEASE.